The key with our settings is to remember... As you're holding the handles, full "pinkies out" (total thumbs-back angle) is forward, with all four lines taut, loading the sail fully.

Anytime you want to fly forward from a hover, give a sharp tug back on the top lines, just like a mini launch, which loads the sail and throws wind through the engine (like a siphon - it starts it moving).

Any input on the brakes is minimal, because there is more pressure in the sail and the brake lines are shorter.

Reverse flight is no longer a full input, you merely shift the tension into the bottom lines.

Much of it is retraining yourself on what the default handle position is.

If you can manage it mentally, take my word on this and spend an entire day on these settings in 5mph or more... Believe it will work, keep adjusting and don't let yourself expect it to fly a certain way, let it teach you.

Excellent descriptions....thx. Will definitely try it out next time.

"Cya in the Sand!....."

"Slack lines are fine lines!"

"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" BD
"One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain" BM

I was playing a little bit with my leaders last night and discovered that if I went from one extreme to the other and any variation in between I was unconsciously shifting my hands up and down the handles to compensate.... so shifting my grip to find the balance I was comfortable with ... I suspect this is a bad habit I need to remove from my muscle memory ...but it also kind of hints that we all have a feel we like.... for what its worth I pretty much fly my B's with max break on the standard leaders ... will try extending them now!

You may not have to extend them. On your kite you can tie an additional knot on the bottom attachment point. This gives you about an inch and a half of extra brake. You can then get to a neutral kite, I find, with the standard handles. You can also swap your top and bottom lines - the top ones will probably be an inch or so longer than the bottoms unless you have adjusted them. And you can tie an extra knot or two in the bottom line leaders nearest the handle. This gives you another inch or so of brake.

Well I finally got to try my standard B, as my area is usually 12-15 steady wind I mostly fly my Vented with 3 wraps down to about 5-6 then its race rod ultralight vented.

What I have noticed is for some reason the standard B is surprisingly better in ultralight wind than my actual ultralight 1.5 I'm not sure if its just me or what I'm used to but over 5 mph the standard B starts feeling like a rev 1 with an SLE rod in it lots of over steer and exaggerated turning.

Now I did fly mine with the race rods and I'll tell you this I may hate this kite in higher winds but I do have a NEW ultralight its very very amazing.

On another note I see in this thread regarding handle adjustments, I'd like to offer a option that has seemed to help a lot of new flyers in my area.

Make a knot on the bottom of the handle 1' from the D-ring attach it there that way all your fwd and reverse can be adjusted from the top only, this seems top lessen the confusion on adjusting to most.

It's simple and you only have 1 option to adjust either in or out on the top lines, plus it gives that added brake that most of us seem to want anyhow without fumbling with 4 lines to fine a happy place.

Whatever the topic, techniques for light wind flying are just as tantalizing as strong wind techniques.So much to work through whatever the sail.

If the lines/handles are set so that a comfortable grip in a high wind does not produce much forward motion in the kite then the long armed movements required in light winds come in to play! A sharp forward movement to de-power the kite can also be very helpful in arriving at a precise stop.

In light winds it will be necessary to decrease the brakes but accentuate the long armed movements in order to maximise 'lift'.

Well I finally got to try my standard B, as my area is usually 12-15 steady wind I mostly fly my Vented with 3 wraps down to about 5-6 then its race rod ultralight vented.

What I have noticed is for some reason the standard B is surprisingly better in ultralight wind than my actual ultralight 1.5 I'm not sure if its just me or what I'm used to but over 5 mph the standard B starts feeling like a rev 1 with an SLE rod in it lots of over steer and exaggerated turning.

Now I did fly mine with the race rods and I'll tell you this I may hate this kite in higher winds but I do have a NEW ultralight its very very amazing.

On another note I see in this thread regarding handle adjustments, I'd like to offer a option that has seemed to help a lot of new flyers in my area.

Make a knot on the bottom of the handle 1' from the D-ring attach it there that way all your fwd and reverse can be adjusted from the top only, this seems top lessen the confusion on adjusting to most.

It's simple and you only have 1 option to adjust either in or out on the top lines, plus it gives that added brake that most of us seem to want anyhow without fumbling with 4 lines to fine a happy place.

Hope that adds an option that may be helpful.

I am also new to the REV in the last year So for more braking I need the bottom lines to be an inch or two longer than the top lines. I have a series of knots on the bottom and top so there is plenty of room for all types of adjustments Just not sure what to do with them. Someone said if thew kite makes a sound to get more brake. Is this true

You need the bottom lines to be shorter for more brakes as is being suggested, or the top lines longer. Try this. Set the kite up as you normally do and do a normal leading edge up take off. Land again. If it was easy to take off, move the bottom lines in to the closest knot to the handles. Take off again. If it is still easy, move the top lines out one knot at a time taking off with each adjustment. Do this till you have to give a very positive tug on the kite to make it take off and maybe even have to take a step back. Once the kite is set up like this carry on trying to fly for the next 4 hours! You will find you have to tug on the kite to move it forward, but you may also find you have more control. If you like it, great, carry on having learnt something new. If you don't like it thats fine too - we are all different. But do give it a few hours of trial - the easiest thing is to dismiss it as more difficult in the first few minutes but that is because learning anything new is going to be more difficult at first.

As to the kite making a sound, I think I know what they mean but it seems to me it is more that you are USING too little brake rather than the kite is set up with too little brake. All it means is that you have the kite moving forward too fast and essentially uncontrolled. just try slowing down a little. It usually happens in a downwards facing dive.

As to the kite making a sound, I think I know what they mean but it seems to me it is more that you are USING too little brake rather than the kite is set up with too little brake. All it means is that you have the kite moving forward too fast and essentially uncontrolled. just try slowing down a little. It usually happens in a downwards facing dive.

And welcome to the forum Brett.

If it rattles there is 'too much' forward.

I am wondering if there is a paradigm in here somewhere but will need a dictionary first!

It was a chance comment by Felix in a thread somewhere, saying about how it worked, that started me thinking about the idea. Can't remember the phrase he used to describe the technique - remind me Felix.

You need the bottom lines to be shorter for more brakes as is being suggested, or the top lines longer. Try this. Set the kite up as you normally do and do a normal leading edge up take off. Land again. If it was easy to take off, move the bottom lines in to the closest knot to the handles. Take off again. If it is still easy, move the top lines out one knot at a time taking off with each adjustment. Do this till you have to give a very positive tug on the kite to make it take off and maybe even have to take a step back. Once the kite is set up like this carry on trying to fly for the next 4 hours! You will find you have to tug on the kite to move it forward, but you may also find you have more control.

Ahh Sailor, where were you during my first few days?

I live 50 miles away from the nearest Rev flyer. When I started to fly my kite, I had had five minutes of instruction and 15 minutes of flying on a kite that was already set up correctly for the wind conditions. I tried to learn how to set up my kite by reading the forum ... let's see knot x on the bottom and knot y on the top if the winds are z and the sun is located over your right sholder. Otherwise, it's knot zed goes here ... aaaaahhhhh!

That form of instruction for more experienced flyers might be okay. But, a newbie doesn't even know how the hande should feel in their hands ... or really, what it takes to control the kite. Honest! I think that's why RS67Man broke his SLE rod on his first day flying ... too little break makes it hard to slow down the kite. Kind of like riding a bull for 8 seconds ... fantastic rush, but it usually ends in gravity and ground winning the day. Those were my first few days in high winds ... I was lucky since Illinois soil is reasonably forgiving. Even Sirrom2000, who has been flying for awhile, expressed confusion over the knot discussion.

Your instructions discribed a "feel" to the handles and/or kite ... I believe that is very necessary in helping newbies. No mention of knot x or y ... simply a lengthing or shortening of the top line to achieve this or that "feel".

Mike Kory helped me over several e-mails and forum posts to arrive at a reasonable approach to setting up my handles. My present approach is to make a guess as to the correct brake. Then I take the kite up and hover it in the center of the wind window with the top of my hands level with the top of the foam - B-series handles. If the handle is balanced about my middle finger, I commence to enjoy. If the center of pressure is on my pointer finger ... then I know I'm tilting the handles backwards to keep it in position ... I land and choke up on the top bridle. If the center of presure is about my ring finger ... then I know I'm tilting the handles forward to slow down the kite ... ie I'm using my hands to introducing the necessary extra brake and I need to move the top line out on the pigtail until it balances about my middle finger. For me, this concept was a brake through ... pardon the pun. I now don't scare the ground hogs so much.

Everyone recommends visiting a kite festival or a club fly for hands on learning and I fully support that concept. The brief instruction backdraft gave me at the kite festival has really stuck in my mind and been the easiest to turn into an automatic reflex. I'll get my chance next Saturday at the IKE club fly to see if what I've learned is correct or simply a bad habit that needs to change.

Actually, I think REV should make a video aimed at the brand new flyer ... call it the REV VIV ... Valuable Information Video. Address new flyer instructions as if the individual has never seen a REV kite ... lots of instruction that says "this is how it should feel" ... "no it isn't suppost to go 100 miles per hour" ... "slow and easy is how it is really flown". If you wonder what level of instruction should be covered, think about it as the Village Idiot Video ... then you'll probably be able to help guys like me.

It was a chance comment by Felix in a thread somewhere, saying about how it worked, that started me thinking about the idea. Can't remember the phrase he used to describe the technique - remind me Felix.

Thanks Jeremy for setting me on the correct course of action. john Barresi helped me a year ago but I only had flown a couple of times So everything said was a little overwhelming and of course I can't remember anything.

I will try this out this weekend in Lincoln City. I hope to be a the beach the whole four days. Then off to Seattle with relatives. Would have loved to be in Seaside with John and friends Maybe next time.Thanks again Brett

It was a chance comment by Felix in a thread somewhere, saying about how it worked, that started me thinking about the idea. Can't remember the phrase he used to describe the technique - remind me Felix.

Edit - I remember "Long arm technique"

In the context of this thread, what is the 'correct' term for a rattling sail?

I have another 'illustration'.

If the maximum forward speed of the kite in a 5mph breeze is as fast as is 'fully controllable' how fast will the kite move in a 10mph breeze? By limiting the possible forward speed of the kite at the handles the flier can maintain control.

I have never bothered with line length adjustment really. The lines were tied direct and slight adjustment made on the kites for the type of wind they would likely be flown in. Rev 1, light; Rev 1.5, medium; Rev 1.5 vented, high; Shockwave, medium and Supersonic, high. It was the same set of lines for all of them <grins>

In the context of this thread, what is the 'correct' term for a rattling sail?

Rattling, slatting, are the correct terms to describe the sound a sail is making when doing little apart from slowly destroying itself, when the sound reaches the point where the leach (trailing edge) is vibrating and buzzing like a small engine,just as a Rev sail does, it is destroying itself a tad quicker.One thing not mentioned so far is that for a Rev to fly well sail tension is just as important as handle settings, to keep with the nautical stuff, Jeremy, you would not be sailing around with your boom outhaul slack in a decent breeze would you.